


Second Chances

by HippyRat



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: 2017 Pennywise, Adult Bill Denbrough, Adult Losers Club (IT), Aged-Up Losers Club (IT), Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Ben Hanscom Loves Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh Knows Everything, Bill Denbrough is a Good Friend, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Established Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, F/M, Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M, Mike Hanlon Deserves Nice Things, Mike Hanlon is a Good Friend, Reddie, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-15 10:01:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20864387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HippyRat/pseuds/HippyRat
Summary: Dealing with loss and trauma, the losers club remain together. Helping Richie Tozier go through the stages of grief over the loss of his first love: Eddie.But.. what if Eddie got a second chance at life? Each loser gets a second chance at something in this story.Richie getting a second chance at finally confessing his love for Eddie.As well as many more!The losers club remains written in stone and remains well and alive.Helping each other through tough times, laughing and living happily. The way they deserve."We're losers, We always will be."





	1. Stage 1: Denial

It’s been a few hours since Eddie Kaspbrak has passed since the intense battle with Pennywise happened. Richie hadn’t been the same since. He kept playing that scene through his head over and over again. The Losers were with him, holding him close to comfort him during this tough time in life.

“It’ll be okay, Rich.” Beverly said in a soft tone before she pulled away and went to go get some tissues off the counter in the Inn they stayed at. Richie didn’t say anything. He had a lump in his throat.

“I just-” before Richie could even finish, his eyes flooded with tears. They streamed down his cheeks before he took off his cracked glasses, rubbing his eyes and softly sobbing.

“I can’t believe he’s gone.” He weakly spoke. They could all hear the heartbreak in his voice.

Beverly came back with a box of tissues, kneeling down to his level and pulling a few from the box.  
Gently wiping away any tears that dare fell. She gently placed her hands on his damp cheeks.

“Richie, Look at me,” she looked him in the eyes, “It’ll be okay.” She promised and kissed his forehead. Pulling him into a tight hug, he couldn’t help but weakly wrap his arms around her, sobbing grossly into her blood-stained shirt“We could’ve saved him, dammit!” Richie yelled, just choking on his sobs.

“There’s nothing we could’ve done... He was gone.” Beverly hesitated to say.

“Let him grieve, Bev.” Ben said, resting his hand on his friend's shoulder.

“We could’ve saved him.. You guys just pulled me away. Why… Why?!” He shouted again, his voice cracked. His hands balled up into fists and he pulled away from Beverly’s embrace.

He got up, wiping away his own tears before he shoved his hands in his pockets. He began to walk towards the front door, grabbing his keys along the way.

“Rich, where are you going?” Bill asked before he shot up, the group following with.

“I’m going somewhere.” was all Richie gave them.

“Richie! Wait for us! We will go with you.” Beverly quickly grabbed her car keys as well, following behind the trash mouth.

"Please, just leave me alone for now. I want to see for myself-” He quickly unlocked his car, getting into the driver's seat before slamming the door shut, trying to quickly put the key into the ignition before they all came to his car or in their car. His keys dancing in his hands before they slipped out of his grip, falling onto the floor of the car.

“Shit!” He yelled before he looked over with an annoyed look on his face, seeing Mike and Bill.

Mike next to the drivers' window and Bill next to the passenger window, both of their arms crossed.  
Richie sighed and mouthed to himself ‘fuck.’ before he heard a tap on his window, he rolled his eyes and scoffed before his hand made its way over to the door and he pressed the button. The window slowly rolling down, awkward silence now surrounding all three of them.

“Richie.” Mike began. “Wherever you are going, we will go with.”

“Why can’t I just be alone for fuck's sake?” Richie began to tear up once more.

“Because-” Before Mike could finish, Bill opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

“B-b-because we know what it’s like to deal with loss, R-R-Richie. It’s not good to be alone for a long time.” Bill managed to get the full sentence out. Ever since the group was reunited, his stuttering came back.

Richie softened at feeling like he wasn’t alone in all of this and that honestly was very comforting for him.

“Thanks, B-B-Bill,” Richie replied jokingly, laughing to himself for that one.  
Mike laughed as well before he quickly covered his mouth.

“Sorry, Bill.”

“Yeah yeah, f-f-fuck you, Rich.” Bill laughed along with the two.

“No but seriously, I need to leave.” Richie went back to his grieving self, reaching down for his car keys, this time getting the right key in hand before he put it into the ignition.  
He made eye contact with Bill, waiting for Bill to get out.

“What?” Bill asked as he started to buckle himself up.

“You gotta be shitting me.”

“What? What you’re going through, we go through as well. Losers are here for other Losers, always.” He clicked the buckle in and tightened up a bit to his liking before the door behind Richie’s seat opened as well. Richie let out a long groan before he turned the key and heard the loud rumble noise. The car gently vibrating. He adjusted his rearview mirror before he pulled out of his spot.

Beverly and Ben discussing their own matters, not realizing Richie was leaving.

“Bev. Come on, He’s going through a lot right now, let him do what he needs to do in peace. Let him go through this, He will get better. Just...not right now.” He tried to get that through her.

“Ben. I’m sorry, but I lost a lot of people in the past three days. I don’t want to risk the chance of losing another-” Before she was about to unlock her car, he grabbed ahold of her arm gently.

Beverly instantly went into a state of shock and got flashbacks from previous nights ago, quickly pulling her arm back.  
Ben showing confusion as to why that happened. “Beverly. He’s not alone. Look.” He glanced over at Richie’s car that was now pulling out of the parking lot and taking off.

“Bill and Mike are with him. He’s going to be okay. I promise.” He lightly placed his hands on her shoulders, tears racing down her rose-red cheeks. She closed her eyes and was pulled into his loving embrace. She sniffled and clenched the back of her loved one’s shirt. “I’m just scared,” she admitted, resting her head on his shoulder and letting the tears fall.

“I know, Bev. I know.” He said softly and rubbed her back. Letting her cry out the pain she’s been holding in.

Meanwhile, Richie was driving towards the demolished house that once belonged to IT. Bill and Mike were clueless where Tozier was headed to, as long as they kept an eye on him, they didn’t care where the went. They were free of fear, they finally felt truly free.

“Hey, Rich?” Mike asked, leaning in towards the driver's seat.

“Yeah?” Richie was too focused on driving and getting to his destination.

“Do you remember when we were kids before IT came back, we would always meet in the clubhouse after school. For your birthday, the day you turned Sixteen. We all surprised you with comic books. I still remember your face when you saw the Thor comic Eddie had for you.” Mike smiled and laughed at the memory.

Richie smiled softly as he got taken back to those times. When everything was fine, no murders, no pain.  
Still hanging out with his best friends and seeing Eddie well and alive again. Just thinking about him brought tears to his eyes.

“I still can’t believe he’s gone, guys.” He mumbled to himself, hoping the two were able to hear him.

“I can’t believe it either, Richie,” Bill said twiddling his thumbs as they passed down the street.  
Bill and Mike glanced up on the road, familiar to the area that they were in and sighing in sync almost.

“Richie-” They both said, this just broke their hearts even more.

“No guys listen- just... Just wait!” He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. His arms shaking and his breath hitched.  
He pulled along to the side of the empty space that was once a rotting, disgusting monster house.

“Come on, help me.” He stopped the car and quickly turned his keys to shut off the car and pulled them out afterward. He then shoved them in the front pocket of his pants before he got out of the car. Jogging over to the complete mess and seeing the sinkhole in the ground. He ran his fingers through his dark brown curls before he began tossing torn pieces of wood and planks out of his way.

“Richie!” The two shouted and ran after him, Bill trying to pull Richie out of the destruction, Richie pulling back harshly.

“No! I know he’s down there. He was just knocked out from the pain! None of you listened to me! So..” He went back to digging up pieces of wood. “I thought it would be best to show you since clearly none of you noticed he was just passed out.” He was infuriated, mad that he couldn’t save him. He felt guilty. It was like he was to blame.

He saw it. He saw it happen, he wanted to stop it, but couldn’t wake up fast enough. He saw the death coming, why didn't he get up faster? Why did he let him die? He didn’t have time to save him. The deadlights. Pennywise cheated. The same thing kept playing in his head. ‘My fault.’ He shook his head and winced before he snapped out of that moment. Going back to what he was doing. ‘No, He was fucking with you. He’s not gone. He’s waiting.’ He thought to himself. Going with that thought.

“Rich, I-” Mike began before he was cut off.

“I don’t want to hear it guys! I know what I saw! I know him. I know he’s not d… d-” He hesitated to even make out that word. He was too heartbroken to even complete that sentence.

He quickly took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes to get rid of any tears that threatened to fall. Looking up at the sky that had various aesthetic colors blending together, it was clear that sunset arrived. He started blinking quickly to get his vision back to being clear other than blurry before he put his glasses back on. Bill and Mike looked at each other, instantly coming up with a plan.

“Okay, Rich. Show us.” Bill crossed his arms and Mike stood there, waiting for Richie to give up.

“Well…?” Richie asked before he chucked one more plank away from where he was digging.

“What?” Bill asked, clearly oblivious to what Richie was wanting from them.

“Help me!” He yelled in frustration, the two quickly being alert, it was like a light bulb turned on in their head.

All three of them began helping, pulling out broken pieces of wood, furniture, etc.  
Being careful not to get stabbed by any pieces of shattered glass.

After hours of cleaning up, nightfall coated the earth. Richie noticed the torn down well in the back as he squinted to see for sure. The street lights helping others to see. Richie quickly dashed over to it, tripping over any rubbish that was in his way.

“Richie! No!” Mike yelled and ran after him, he grabbed ahold of Richie who was freely going to dive right into the well. Them both falling back, Bill came rushing over seconds later. Richie kicked his legs and squirmed in Mike's grasp.

“Jesus fuck! Did those Indians give you godly strength too?!” He shouted, panting heavily as he continued to toss and kick.

“He’s down there! He’s just stuck! Let me get him, please!” Richie pleaded. The more he waited, the more his heart continued to tear further.

“R-R-Richie, He’s gone! There’s nothing you can do!” Bill shouted. Mike holding Richie’s arms back and Bill holding down Richie’s legs so he would stop thrashing around.

“Fuck you!” Richie screamed at him, continuing to squirm and try his hardest to get out of their grip.

“Stop! This won’t help you at all if you continue to be like this, Rich.” Mike and Bill both tried to get some sense into him, but all Richie could think about was how Eddie was still alive. How he was all alone down in the sewers. How no one came back for him. He was abandoned. He did not want to accept the fact that his best friend and loved one was gone for good. It was the worst pain Richie has ever felt, the worst pain that anyone will ever go through. Richie gave up and just sobbed right then and there. Crying out Eddie’s name weakly, he kept shaking his head. He was in denial over the loss of him.

Mike and Bill held Richie close, comforting him the best they could, Richie just laying limp in their arms.  
Bill and Mike knew what he went through the most. Both went through the loss of loved ones on their own, knowing how hard it was to accept this. Bill and Mike made eye contact and both nodded. A look of concern washed over them. It was official.

Richie was going through stage one of grief:

Denial.


	2. Stage 2: Anger

After what seemed like forever, Mike and Bill finally got Richie to go back in the car.

"Are you okay driving?" Mike asked Richie as they walked back over to the vehicle, Richie immediately pulling his car keys out of his pocket and tossing the keys to Mike.

"If you wreck her or get a scratch on her, I swear-" Richie said as he walked to the car and got in the back seat, Bill sitting right next to Richie.

"I wouldn't even dare," Mike replied, getting in the driver's seat and starting up the car.

Mike began driving off towards the Inn. Letting the silence fill the air.

Bill glanced over at the sad comedic beside him, he knew all too well what he was going through and couldn't help but pity the poor guy.

Why was he so upset over Eddie? He understood it was his best friend of all time, but why was he this upset? It didn't click into his head. He cried almost every five minutes. It started to worry about him.

On the way home, Ben and Beverly were dealing with other issues at the Inn's bar.

Beverly had red wine in a clear wine glass, swirling the liquid around as she leaned against the counter where Ben was across from her.

"Bevvie," he started to break the silence in the room, he looked at her with concern. "What is it that you're afraid to tell me? I can tell something is wrong." Ben confessed. He truly was worried for her, he wondered why she pulled away so quickly when he gently grabbed her. It made him make assumptions up in his mind.

Beverly was frozen when he asked that question. She trusts Ben, she loved him. Really she did, she was just scared to face the truth that, that is what she truly went through. She took a swig from her glass, letting the strong flavor wash over her taste buds.

She looked down and hesitated to speak.

"Nothing." Was all that she could manage to say.

"Beverly. I know you. Something is wrong. Tell me. Please, I care about you." He placed his hand over her own and she glanced up at him, the two making eye contact.

"Fine.." she shook gently, just being brought back to that night. She could still feel the stinging pain upon her cheek from when she was smacked. Still seeing the faint marks of how harsh the leather belt met with her skin.

"I was in a bad place, Ben.." she started, tears threatening to fall.

Ben placed his hand on her cheek, gently wiping away any tears that fell down with his thumb.

"My husband wasn't good to me the night Mike called. I was loyal, Ben. I was. He just didn't believe me.." the more she talked about it, the more countless tears fell.

Ben connected the dots, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach.

"Bev, I-" before they could continue their conversation, Richie opened the door quickly. Heading straight towards the bar and shuffled through the bottles of alcohol, getting out Bourbon Whiskey and a shot glass, carelessly pouring himself a shot and downing it immediately. Licking his lips afterward to get any excess.

He looked over at Beverly crying and Ben with a worried look, the two staring at him.

"What?" He asked as he continued to pour himself continuous shots. Before Mike and Bill came inside after talking about what to do next with Richie.

"Tell me you're not drinking-" Mike sighed as he laid eyes upon what he saw.

"What I'm an adult man, I can do what I want." The smart talk started up, Richie began to go back to his asshole self.

"What is your problem? What happened when you guys were gone?" Beverly asked as she wiped away her own tears and took a sip from her own glass.

"He went back to the house." Bill sighed and sat in the seat at the bar, next to Ben.

"What? Are you serious?" Ben scoffed, looking at Richie and the other two. "You let him?"

"He was the one d-d-driving." Bill glanced over at Richie who was now downing the bottle before Mike ran over and tried to pull it away from him.

Faint whisper yelling and groaning was heard before Mike managed to yank the bottle away. "Goodness Richie, it's halfway empty! There's barely any whiskey left."

Richie hiccuped and burped afterward. "Yeah and I'm not finished," he tried to reach for it again before Mike held it up high.

"Can you two stop acting like siblings?" Beverly butted in and grabbed the bottle from Mike herself, locking it up inside the mini-fridge. Richie scoffed at her actions.

"Richie. Why don't you go to bed? We can all do something fun together tomorrow!" Beverly suggested afterward with a smile she pulled through, Ben noticing and instantly getting a worried feeling in his gut. It was impressive to see how well she managed to keep herself up, even when she was hiding the most traumatic thing a woman could go through.

"Like what?" Richie asked, leaning against the counter. It was obvious he was getting an attitude.

"We could go bike riding! Go to the movies! Go to the clubhouse even!" Beverly looked at Ben when she mentioned the clubhouse.

"Why are you guys acting like nothing happened?" Richie sighed and clenched his hands tightly.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"What do I mean? Are you seriously asking that right now?"

"Rich-" Bill started before he was quickly silenced yet again.

"No, no more Richie," he mocked with a girly voice and a stuttering voice afterward for both Bill and Beverly. The two growing a pissed off look on their faces.

"You guys keep acting like everything is fucking fine, like nothing happened. What, did you forget what happened? Am I the only one who remembers this shit?"

"Calm down, dude." Mike tried to reason with him, reaching his hand over to place upon his shoulders before his hand was smacked away.

"No, I have every right. You guys seriously don't fucking care? We use to have Stanley! You guys were so fucking upset over that! Now that Eddie is gone you guys don't bat a fucking eye? Am I the only one who actually gave a shit about him?" He flopped his arms to his sides, before tossing them back up again.

"Like, you guys act as if nothing happened!"

"Richie. We're all mourning over Eddie and Stan. People mourn differently than others." Beverly started, trying to calm Richie down and hoping it would work.

"Yeah, but at least those people show that they actually give a fuck."

"I do too give a fuck!" Beverly felt offended as well as the others.

"Hey man, what the fuck is your problem tonight? What happened?" Ben snapped back.

"None of you fucking understand." Richie took his glasses off and placed them on the bar counter, rubbing his temples to ease his migraine due to the previous sobbing sessions.

"Of course we understand, Richie. We were all there-"

"No, you fucking don't! None of you have lost loved ones! I'm not talking about family-" he pointed at both Mike and Bill.

The group now looking confused before Richie finished off his speech.

"I'm talking about loved ones. The ones who have the key to your heart. Who makes you feel safe. None of you understand. I lost the one who made me feel safe tonight. None of you don't fucking understand.." he winced in pain at the last part before grabbing ahold of his glasses and wiping away the tears, before he turned around to go head upstairs.

The group left in shock and silence, hearing his footsteps faintly disappear once he opened the door and shut it.

"Richie was in love with Eddie..?" Ben asked, the group looked like they just saw a ghost.

While the losers were left downstairs, Richie was in Eddie's room. Sitting on the edge of the bed as he softly cried to himself, holding one of Eddie's jackets he had with him, sobbing into the cloth.

It smelled like him. He missed him. He wanted him back more than anything.

"I miss you." He cried out as laid down on the bed and just let himself cry it out, clenching onto the fabric.

Sinking into the bed as he silently sobbed his broken heart out.

Whenever he closed his eyes all he could see was how happy Eddie looked when he ran over to him.

'I did it, Richie! I think I killed it!' followed by the most hurtful gasp ever.

'Richie..' as he choked on his own blood before he was tossed away.

"It could have been me. Why couldn't it be me..?" Guilt was now taking its toll on him as well as a mix of anger.

"Goddammit, why him?!" He shouted and slammed his hands down, sobbing loudly and gasping for air in between sobs before he went back to holding Eddie's jacket close to him.

Everyone downstairs heard the shouting followed by hurtful sobs that broke their hearts.

"Poor Richie.." Beverly muttered before she cried tears of her own.

"It's so heartbreaking to hear." Ben sighed and teared up as well.

Mike and Bills hearts were broken listening to their friend break down like that, especially over the loss of someone he truly loved more than a friend.

Richie's sobs started dying down as time went by, hiccuping and sniffling still. His eyes becoming very heavy. Before he knew it, he was asleep.


End file.
